Project Ara is not the only thing that Google is dropping this quarter. The company appears to also be planning to drop the Nexus moniker in favor of a new brand name for its Android smartphones.This year, things could be quite different since Google has a number of hardware projects in the works, and the Nexus brand is reportedly being replaced with a Pixel-badged line of smartphone devices.Google is preparing to announce on Oct. 4 its first two smartphones
dubbed Pixel and Pixel XL. The latter will be a 4K-capable Chromcast
dongle and Daydream VR viewer.

All will be revealed on October 4, Google has yet to confirm anything regarding the new Pixel phones, but according to a new report from the generally reliable Android Police. At an event dedicated to hardware on that day, the Android-maker will reveal two Pixel phones, one called Pixel and one called Pixel XL, which Pixel will be the 5" Sailfish device, while Pixel XL will be the 5.5" Marlin.These will be HTC-built devices, according to the publication, which is different from other Pixel hardware, including the Chromebook Pixel and Pixel C tablet, whose design is handled in-house by Google itself.Apart from new smartphones, Google is also expected to disclose more information about its Google Home, a voice-activated speaker powered by Google Assistant that supports Cast for audio streaming.As mentioned, the timing fits in terms of Google’s past practice with refreshing Nexus hardware. Typically, Google follows shortly after Apple’s introduction of its own devices, and starts shipping the new kit pretty much immediately thereafter.